AFBF YF&R Leadership Conference: A true showcase of our next leaders in agriculture

Attending the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Conference Feb. 16-19 in Reno, Nev. was a great experience both educationally and socially. There are so many challenges facing today’s farmer, especially young agricultural professionals. For example, overall net farm income has declined by 52 percent since 2014. Despite the looming challenges, over 1,000 young people traveled from 45 states to engage in topics related to agriculture.

After informing us that he was born in Ohio, AFBF President Zippy Duvall poses for a picture as we assumed O-H-I-O formation. Left to right: President Duvall, Clint Lease, Callie Eberhart, and Emily Krikke.

By meeting producers from other states, I found out that California almond growers have special equipment to shake their trees and make the almonds fall without hurting the bark of the tree. Another man from Georgia said I was crazy, because I harvest corn in November and he shells his in either August or early September.
Many of the presenters encouraged us to go outside of our own fence rows to advocate for our industry and make sure that people in the general population know what we do and why we do it.

What’s the view from your back door? At Bently Ranch, a towering mountain range looms nearby, causing their growing season to last just 90 days!

On one particular day, President Trump tweeted that the U.S. was pulling out of NAFTA. Grain prices instantly plummeted, to the point where Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue dropped what he was doing and headed to the White House to convince the president to reconsider. Our prices are dictated by world markets, meaning that we need to watch not only how much rain is the gauge on our fence post, but also be aware of weather reports for foreign lands like Argentina and Brazil.

In Reno, I met some amazing, experienced professionals in various leadership positions within our industry. I got the opportunity to meet and network with young ag professionals from every corner of our state and nation. While statistics show that the American farmer is aging, the proof is out there that those older operators will have family members or neighbors interested in assuming their task of feeding the world, as well as well-trained agribusiness leaders, agronomists, and those types of professionals to support them in the ever-evolving technological world of today’s agriculture.

To learn more about Ohio’s Young Agricultural Professionals Program, events and involvement opportunities, visit experienceyap.com.

Clint Lease is a corn, soybean and wheat grower from rural Tiffin in Seneca County. He and his father work full-time jobs off the farm before heading home and jumping in a truck or tractor to get to work somewhere on their 500-acre grain farm. He is active in the Seneca County Farm Bureau, has attended the YAP Conference for two years and was a participant in the Discussion Meet contest in December.

Ohio Farm Bureau Federation is a member of American Farm Bureau Federation®, a national organization of farmers and ranchers including Farm Bureau® organizations in 49 other states and Puerto Rico, and is responsible for Farm Bureau membership and programs within the State of Ohio. Ohio Farm Bureau Federation programs and services are available only to Farm Bureau members within Ohio. The political views expressed in these pages represent Ohio Farm Bureau Federation's positions on various issues as they relate to Ohio. The positions of the national Farm Bureau organization collectively are expressed through American Farm Bureau Federation. Any opinions, statements or views expressed through comments or by outside contributors are the express views of those individuals and do not necessarily represent the views of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation.